Race on for Idaho 1st District seat in U.S.
House
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October 10, 2012 |
By Mike Weland
Publisher
Besides the presidential race, which has six
candidates on our ballot, the next most hotly
contested race Boundary County voters will have
a voice in is for Idaho's First District seat in
the United States House of Representatives,
where incumbent Republican Raul Labrador is
facing three challengers.
In the order of appearance on the 2012 Boundary
County general election ballot, here are the
candidates seeking to represent North Idaho in
Washington, DC.
All material and images were taken, mostly
verbatim, from these candidates' official web
sites, and the URLs are included so that you
can, if you'd like, learn more about the choices
you're being asked to make.
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| Democratic
candidate Jimmy Farris |
Democrat Jimmy Farris has a reputation for
setting challenging goals and achieving those
goals through hard work, determination, and
persistence. As a child in Lewiston, Idaho,
Jimmy set a tough first goal: to play
professional football.
His parents, Bob and Sharon, taught Jimmy and
his four siblings that he could do anything he
set his mind to through hard work and
determination. Bob, a teacher and principal, and
Sharon who spent a lifetime working in the
healthcare industry, showed Jimmy the value of
being a community leader and instilled a deep
respect for being involved in his neighborhood
and church.
A graduate of Lewiston High School, Jimmy
attended the University of Montana, earning a
degree in Marketing and Management while having
a standout football career with the Grizzlies.
Graduating in 2000, Jimmy took the next step in
chasing his dream and entered the NFL Draft.
Despite his exceptional performance as a wide
receiver, he went undrafted.
Undaunted, Jimmy continued to pursue his dream
to play in the NFL. He was invited to attend the
San Francisco 49er’s pre-season camp for the
longest of shots of making the roster of an NFL
team. Through that same hard work, dedication,
and persistence, he learned growing up in Idaho,
Jimmy (almost through the sheer force of his
will) made the team and began his NFL career.
Jimmy spent the next six seasons in the NFL as a
wide receiver with the 49er’s, New England
Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, and the Washington
Redskins. As a player, it is no surprise that
Jimmy was known as a hard-working dedicated team
player. As a member of the 2001 Patriots Super
Bowl Championship team, Jimmy was the team’s
overachiever.
After a successful career in the NFL Jimmy
transitioned into sports broadcasting, giving
him time to turn his attention to becoming the
kind of community leader his family had
instilled in him. In addition to volunteering
his time at local food banks and homeless
shelters Jimmy achieved another goal by opening
The Jimmy Farris Future Leaders Foundation. The
foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated
to equipping and developing young leaders with
the skills necessary to excel academically,
spiritually, socially and athletically. Jimmy
was able to help underprivileged kids by
providing them support and a set of values that
would ensure success in whatever they chose.
Recently, Jimmy returned to his home in Idaho,
to be closer to his family and continue to give
back to the community that has given him so much
in life. After achieving his dream and living
his passion in the NFL, Jimmy knew it was time
to give back to the state and nation that made
it possible for him to pursue his dreams.
Jimmy is running for Congress because he
believes this is a critical moment when we need
leaders in Washington that will pull together
the diverse group of Representatives in the U.S.
House, and get to the work the American people
sent them to do. Using that same spirit of hard
work, dedication, and persistence, Jimmy will
get things done for the people of Idaho and the
nation and work to keep America the best place
for anyone to pursue and achieve their dreams.
His website is
http://jimmyfarris.us.
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| Republican
candidate
Raúl Labrador |
Incumbent Republican Raúl Labrador and his wife,
Rebecca, are the proud parents of five children
– Michael, Katerina, Joshua, Diego and Rafael.
They live in Eagle, Idaho, where four of their
children are enrolled in the local public
schools and their oldest son, Michael, serves on
a mission in Uruguay.
Raúl knows the vital importance of family. He
was born in Puerto Rico and was raised in a
single parent-household. His mother struggled to
help him earn a brighter future and inspire hope
in him. Through a solid belief in the value of
education, Raúl’s mother moved their small
family to the mainland and Raúl completed high
school, and he later earned a degree from
Brigham Young University and an advanced degree
at the University of Washington.
Raúl built a successful small business and was
the owner and managing partner of a law firm
with offices in Boise and Nampa.
Raúl and Rebecca are active members of their
church and involved in community life. Raúl, who
is an Eagle Scout, has previously volunteered
with the Boy Scouts of America and served on
several state and local Republican committees.
Raúl was a leading conservative in the Idaho
Legislature and has emerged as one of the most
prominent conservative voices in Washington,
D.C. Since his election to a seat in the Idaho
House of Representatives in 2006, Raúl has been
a clear and consistent advocate for Idaho
values. Now, as our Congressman, he is proud to
extend his record of fiscal responsibility,
limited government and individual freedom to the
halls of Capitol Hill.
In just his first term in Congress, Raúl has
been an unwavering advocate for what matters to
Idahoans. He has fought to protect our privacy
from an overreaching federal government as a
vocal opponent of NDAA and the Patriot Act. He
has been a tireless supporter of scaling back
the size and score of government, voting against
all needless spending bills in the U.S. House of
Representatives. He has voted for every measure
that would reduce our tax burden and reform this
cumbersome system once and for all.
Congressman Labrador has earned national media
acclaim for his role as one of the most
compelling stand-outs of the freshman class. He
has been a frequent guest on the Sunday morning
programs, such as NBC’s “Meet the Press” and
ABC’s “This Week.” He is also a regular
contributor on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and
the Fox Business Chanel. Of course, you can
catch him on local Idaho radio and television
programming several times a month, too. Whether
it’s here at home or at a big network in D.C.,
the media has identified Raúl as an important
voice for conservatism and for Idaho.
Raúl has a proven record of consistently
standing up for our values. He is the rare
politician who stands up and fights for what’s
right. He knows his chief responsibility, as a
public servant is to protect the taxpayers, not
the special interests. He has kept his promises
to his constituents and will continue to keep
his promises to you in Congress.
"Our country is at a crossroads," Labrador said.
"While we endure hardships, we wonder about the
uncertain future ahead. These times require
brave and bold leadership rooted in a moral
foundation unshaken by the political winds as
they blow."
His website is
http://www.labrador4idaho.com.
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| Libertarian
candidate Rob Oates |
Libertarian candidate Rob Oates describes
himself as folows;
"Rob Oates – a regular guy, not a career
politician, not a lawyer.
"For the past several years I’ve been privileged
to serve as chair of the Libertarian Party of
Idaho. Caldwell is my home town and I'm a fifth
generation Idahoan. I’ve been married for the
past 28 years to my wife, Debbie, I’m father of
our three grown children and we have one
grandchild.
"I work as Caldwell’s airport manager, paying
the mortgage, and helping the two kids in
college at Moscow.
"In ’03 and ’07 the people of Caldwell elected
me to our City Council. Some years earlier, I
graduated from Caldwell High and the University
of Idaho and served as a US Army officer and
later as an attack helicopter pilot and unit
commander in the Republic of Korea. For three
years I was the Army’s Cobra helicopter weapons
test pilot at the Yuma Proving Ground in
Arizona.
"I’ve also worked in the satellite industry and
developed database software for business
applications on the Internet."
On the issues, he's emphatic.
"Liberty is the Answer!" he says. "But over the
years our federal government has expanded into
so many inappropriate areas that the following
issue positions are highlighted to start the
conversation on returning our country to a
constitutional republic."
Among many issues, he opposes "Obamacare,"
saying that reducing federal regulations on the
medical profession would reduce costs, making
doctor visits and operations more affordable; he
is highly concerned about the growing police
state; on the economy, he says, "The federal
government has not/cannot/won't ever create a
single productive job. People do work for the
government and they call that work a job, but
every government "job" consumes tax dollars.
Only private sector employers can truly create
"jobs" and increase the tax base because what's
done there is done in the marketplace and work
done adds value to the economy. The "jobs"
situation will only improve with less government
spending and regulation which will in turn
encourage private investment and true job
creation."
He favors repeal of gun laws that infringe
private ownership, says the nation needs to end
its involvement in all wars and favors
regulating marijuana much like alcohol.
His website is
http://roboates.com.
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Independent candidate Pro-Life |
A short chronology, in his own words, of
Pro-Life’s life, who claims no party
affiliation, saying his name says it all:
1940-November 1, 1940, Pro-Life began at
fertilization in Carbon County, Wyoming.
1941- Born, Marvin Thomas Richardson, Carbon
County, Wyoming, August 5.
1941-1945 Lived on the Richardson Double 8 Ranch
at Elk Mountain, Wyoming.
1945-1956 Childhood and school in Rawlins,
Carbon County, Wyoming.
1957-1958 University High School, Laramie,
Wyoming. Sportswriters All-State basketball.
1960-Graduated from Lander Wyoming High School.
1960-1961Attended Brigham Young University on a
basketball scholarship. This aid should not be
called scholarship, the misuse of this word
tells a great deal about our society. Pro-Life
played on the Freshman team. Pro-Life was the
last player to be cut from the Varsity as a
Sophomore and then 2 Varsity players quit, but
Pro-Life was not called back to the Varsity
because he had complained about athletes not
keeping the BYU Honor Code. Pro-Life was
learning to take his lumps for telling the
truth.
1962-1964 Missionary for the LDS Church in
Arizona, California, and Nevada.
1964-Married Jean Carol Benson in Arizona LDS
Temple.
1964-1967 Brigham Young University, graduated in
1967, Political Science.
1968-1969 Worked in a family business in
Colorado with his father and brother.
1969-1971 Back at Brigham Young University for
the last time, studied accounting.
1971-1973 Worked for 3 CPA firms, Arizona and
Colorado.
1973-1976 Self-employed, Licensed Public
Accountant, Bear Lake County, Idaho.
1977-1982 Open-pit coal mining, Carbon County
Wyoming.
1982- Divorced by Jean Benson because Pro-Life
was too politically incorrect and that was
embarrassing for a peer pressure oriented woman.
Married Kirsten Faith Bjarnson in St George LDS
Temple in November 1982. Kirsten has moral
courage and ignores peer pressure. Pro-Life and
Kirsten are very compatible and in love.
1983-1984 Strawberry farmer at Gilcrest,
Colorado.
1985-1987 Lived in Baja California Norte,
Mexico, and sold irrigation equipment in USA.
1988-2002 Caterpillar parts employee in Nevada,
13 years.
1998- Resigned from LDS Church because the
Church would not accept person-hood status for
the preborn child.
1998- Christianna, the last of Pro-Life’s 15
children is born, seven from his first wife,
eight from his second wife.
2004- Changed middle name to Pro-Life, ran for
State Legislature.
2006- Ran for Governor as Marvin Pro-Life
Richardson, the name Pro-Life was not allowed on
the ballot by Idaho Secretary of State so
Pro-Life went to court and dropped the names
Marvin and Richardson.
2008- Candidate for US Senate, the name Pro-Life
on ballot with parentheses after Pro-Life (a
person formerly known as Marvin Richardson). A
special law was passed by the Idaho Legislature
requiring the parenthetical information so that
voters would not confuse Pro-Life as an idea or
value. This law is an unconstitutional, ex-post
facto law. Pro-Life would have agreed to the
parentheses but was not asked. Typical of
elected government officials to violate common
courtesy and the Constitution.
2007 Pro-Life ran for Fire Commissioner as a
write in. Received about a third of the vote but
lost to the incumbent.
2010- Pro-Life lost in the general election to
the incumbent, Butch Otter, for a second time.
Pro-life was last in a 5-way race.
2002-present Organic farmer, mostly
strawberries. Pro-life and Kirsten spend their
time on the farm and in moral activism, trying
to persuade people to give up their selfishness
and live like Jesus.
Once again, the ballot follows Pro-Life's name
with "a person, formerly known as Marvin
Richardson."
His wife, Kirsten Faith Richardson, is a
candidate for the District 8 seat in the Idaho
Senate. Which is surprising, but desperate times
call for sacrifice.
"I, Pro-Life, asked my wife to run for office,"
he wrote on their website,
http://prolifeidaho.com.
"She was very reluctant. We do not believe that
women should be involved in things outside the
home, unless there is a serious health, life, or
liberty situation. In our legislative district
we do not have enough patriot men to fill the
ballot spots. Kirsten is the only politician in
our district who will say that abortion is
murder, unjust war is murder,
perverts/adulterers should be jailed, and
democratic socialism is collective theft."
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